They Used To Be Close
by Le MAO XXIV
Summary: They knew each other when they were younger, yet one left. Now, Winter visits Roman in his cell aboard Ironwood's ship, a reunion ten years in the making. If only it had been under different circumstances. (My second attempt at bringing a ship to life, a ship I dub "Roman Empire".) (Second and final chapter will contain spoilers for final two episodes of Volume 3)
1. They Used To Be Close

**A/N: You know, I already brought one ship to life…why not try and attempt another?**

 **I always wondered who else (adults, that is) could potentially be paired with Winter. Others have already done Qrow. I can't see Ozpin being a thing, nor Ironwood. Port and Oobleck are just laughable to even consider. Junior…no, just no. And Glynda, Cinder, or Neo…I don't do yuri.**

 **Which left one viable candidate…Roman Torchwick.**

 **Could I pull it off…well, I'll let you readers be the judge of that. Here's the first ever Roman/Winter fic.**

 **And for the sake of clarity, Roman and Winter are both 25 in this fic.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY._

* * *

 **They Used To Be Close**

* * *

Roman Torchwick sat in his holding cell, grumbling about his many mistakes. One of which was working with that Cinder woman.

Sure, being in this cell was part of the plan, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

How long was he supposed to stay in here anyway?

Curse that woman for not revealing more of the plan to him!

 _Well_ , he thought. _At least, I have time to myself._

The sound of approaching footsteps from outside squandered that thought immediately.

 _Oh, how_ wonderful _. Time for another chat with good ole' Ironwood! How_ exciting _!_

If one could hear his thoughts, they would detect the sarcasm.

As the footsteps neared, he internally wondered what the General would want now. Every time he interrogated the criminal about who was pulling the strings, he always got the same answer:

"You're looking at him."

Well…it was something along those lines. Most of the time, a swear or two would be let out by either parties. Hell, one time Roman nearly got decked by Ironwood himself. Luckily for the General's reputation (and Roman's face), he had stopped himself at the last second. The interrogations had been less frequent from there on….

Guess now was the time for another.

The footsteps had finally reached the front of his cell. A beep or two was heard, indicating the cell door would soon open. Roman prepared to give a snarky comment.

The door slid down.

"Why, General! It's been _so_ long! How have you be-?"

Roman stopped himself when he saw that it was not the General who appeared in the open doorway, but instead….

"Hello, Roman."

On second thought, Roman would have preferred Ironwood instead of the goddess before him.

 _No…no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Anyone but her. ANYONE!_

He had hoped this day would never come. Hoped that he wouldn't see… _her_ again. For both their sakes.

"Hello…Winter."

* * *

 _A teenage (15) Roman Torchwick was currently running from the cops after pilfering their wallets and badges._

 _He jumped over trashcans, hopped a few fences, and made a few turns in the alleyways of Atlas before finally losing those fools._

" _Heh," he said to himself. "All too easy."_

 _He left the alleyway and walked through the sidewalk, blending with the crowd. He took out the wallets and counted the amount of Lien in each._

 _There was enough to get him fed for quite a while. A week at least!_

 _Score one for the thief._

 _He chuckled to himself and pocketed the Lien for himself. He then tossed the wallets and badges in a nearby trash bin._

 _He hadn't necessarily_ wanted _the badges. He just wanted to test his pickpocket skills…._

 _He needed to work on_ that _particular skill, if the chase just now was any indication._

 _He unfortunately didn't watch where he was going and thus bumped into someone._

" _OOF!"_

" _AGH!"_

 _Both fell on their behinds, nursing their heads._

" _Hey!" Roman snarled. "Watch where you're-!"_

 _Roman never finished his sentence, for he was astonished by the beauty before him._

* * *

"Leave us."

The guards nodded and left, leaving Winter Schnee and Roman alone.

…

…

…

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

The question caught Roman off guard. He was still cursing inwardly at the fact that he and Winter had met again after all these years.

"Yes…it has."

Both remained silent for a while. Several different feelings were going through Roman's head at the moment.

Sadness.

Pain.

Regret.

Anger.

…Happiness.

Relief.

Confusion.

…and perhaps…something more?

"Do you remember when we first met?"

Roman was snapped out of his daze by the woman before him. Her face had softened a bit, yet the frown remained.

He chuckled. "How could I forget? It was the most painful meeting of my life."

* * *

 _The beauty was a girl his age.. She had white hair that flowed freely in the wind. Her eyes were a light blue, and her skin was flawless, creamy even. She wore a pure white dress with black edging with two columns of four black buttons in the abdomen. The skirt portion had black frills, and her feet were covered by thigh-high, white high-heeled boots with frilly black thigh-high stockings that come up slightly above the top of her boots._

 **(A/C: Basically, Weiss's Snowpea outfit…I got lazy. Don't judge me!)**

 _Though what caught Roman's attention was the fact that puberty did the girl wonders. She certainly had definitive curves for a girl so young._

 _He was so entranced by the girl before him that he didn't noticed the heeled boot heading straight for his face._

" _Agh!"_

 _Roman fell on his back, nursing his possibly broken nose. A moment later, a foot planted itself on his chest, keeping him down. He looked up to see the beauty he bumped into, an irate look on her face._

" _Who do you think you are?!" She shouted. "Knocking me down like that!"_

 _Roman wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying. He was too busy enjoying the view she provided him._

 _His mistake wasn't looking…okay, it was. But the "real" mistake on his part was not responding to the girl, prompting her to look at him and realize he was looking up her skirt._

 _She did not take this very well._

" _You…YOU DISGUSTING PERVERT!"_

 _She gave him a hard kick to the head, sending him flying into a couple of trash cans._

" _Ugh."_

 _The fact he was still conscious was a miracle in itself._

 _He slowly sat up to see the angry beauty stalking towards him, her eyes screaming murder._

 _It was probably best he get the fuck out of there._

 _He staggered to his feet and charged the girl, who was ready to give him a high kick to his head._

 _He wasn't good at fighting…but he_ was _good at dodging._

 _He effortlessly dodged the girl's kick and flew past her, while picking her pocket in the process. As he made it past her, he ran like hell, never casting a glance behind him._

* * *

"I wasn't _that_ bad-." Winter began.

"Yes, you were," Roman deadpanned

* * *

 _Roman caught his breath as he hid out in a convenience store._

 _He had to cut through_ several _streets and alleyways before finally losing the mad girl who wanted nothing more than to cause him physical pain._

" _That girl needs to take a chill pill."_

 _He pulled out what he was able to pilfer from her pockets: her wallet and her scroll._

 _He peered into the wallet first and found a wad of Lien…ten times that he had gotten from those police officers!_

 _He also found a credit card…a Schnee Dust Company credit card._

…

…

…

 _He just robbed a Schnee._

…

…

…

 _He pumped his fists in the air. He was in the big leagues now!_

 _He placed the Lien and credit card back in the wallet and pocketed it. Roman then looked through the scroll…because why not?_

 _He mostly found some pictures of her with a much younger version of herself. Her sister perhaps? Anyway, he learned that the girl he robbed was Winter Schnee._

 _Scrolling further, he found what appeared to be a diary…._

 _Grinning evilly, he opened the diary app and scrolled through several entries. Most of them was girl talk and boring stuff about the company. Though one did manage to catch his eye_

* * *

 _ **Dear diary,**_

 _ **I had just seen a cheesy romance movie involving the rich girl falling for the bad boy. So cliché. Though I wonder if something like that could ever happen to me.**_

 _ **Father would most certainly not approve. Yet with the way he's treated me and Weiss, it would serve him right! He had no reason to yell at Weiss earlier today! I tried to come to her defense, but this only got him to yell at both of us.**_

 _ **Maybe I**_ **should** _ **find a bad boy to date, just to spite the man! Maybe even a Faunus!**_

…

…

…

 _ **No, just a bad boy will do. No need to do anything drastic. I still don't trust those people. A servant advised me not to hate an entire species for the actions of a few. I've tried, but…it's really hard. Especially since they keep giving me dirty looks. I know they have good reason, but….**_

 _ **I'll work on that later. Right now, I should just focus on finding a bad boy. Might be hard to find one who will date me for me, rather than my last name…or my looks and figure. But if I can't, I'll just have to deal.**_

* * *

 _Roman frowned a little after reading the entry. He pursed his lips in thought…._

 _Yup, he_ slightly _regretted reading the diary._

" _Maybe I should return it?" he wondered aloud._

" _Yes. You should."_

 _He froze at the cold words. He slowly turned around to find Winter Schnee glaring at him. What made it worse was that the diary entry was still open, letting the owner know it had been read._

 _Okay, he_ definitely _regretted reading the diary._

 _Despite being in deep shit, he put on a charming smile. "Why hello there-."_

 _He never got to finish his sentence, because he suddenly found himself flying through the store window with Winter, her knee painfully pressing against his crotch._

 _He landed on the other side of the street, narrowly missing passing cars. He groaned as he held his hands over his crotch in a vain attempt to both lessen the pain and shield it from further harm._

 _The Schnee currently marching towards him with evil intent had other ideas._

 _She reached him and placed her foot on his crotch._

" _Wait, wait!"_

 _She paused and scowled. "What?"_

 _Roman needed to talk his way out of this if he wanted to still be able to produce children in the future…actually, just to be able to do it is motivation enough._

" _L-Look," he began. "T-There's no need to fight. We should be helping each other."_

 _Winter's scowl deepened. "And just what kind of help could someone like you offer me?"_

" _W-Well…as you probably know, I read your diary-."_

 _Her foot began to press on his manhood._

" _-a-and I noticed you're looking for a "bad boy" to "date" to spite your father!"_

 _Her foot stopped moving._

"I _can_ be _that "bad boy"."_

 _She narrowed her eyes at him. "And why should I listen to someone who just stole from me?"_

 _He quickly pulled out the wallet and scroll. "H-Here. Your wallet and scroll. Consider it a sign of trust."_

 _Winter took her wallet and scroll back, checking the former to be sure that nothing was missing. Surprisingly, nothing was._

 _She looked back at Roman. "Why would you suggest doing this?"_

 _He smirked a nervous smirk. "Think of it as a mutually beneficial business joint venture. You get to spite your father…and I don't get physical pain right now."_

 _She was silent for several agonizing moments, her foot still on his crotch._

…

…

…

"… _Very well."_

 _She removed her foot, much to Roman's relief. His relief quickly went away when Winter grabbed him by the collar, dragging him up so they were face-to-face._

" _However," she growled. "If you try anything funny, such as stealing from me or "copping a feel", I'll personally see to it the pain you felt today was but a prelude of what's to come."_

 _Roman gulped and nodded rapidly._

" _Good."_

 _She started dragging him by his collar._

" _H-Hey! Where are you taking me?!"_

" _To meet the family of course. I already told my father about dating a boy, and he asked that he meet said boy." Winter smiled evilly. "I can't wait to see the look on his face."_

 _Roman internally groaned._

 _Why did it feel like he made a deal with the devil?_

* * *

"I am _not_ the devil!"

"Really~?" Roman sarcastically drawled. "Tch, could've fooled me, Ice Queen."

A tick mark appeared on Winter's head.

"Then again, I referred to your sister as Ice Queen, so perhaps you're an Ice Empress? No, wait. Those titles are similar. Oh! I know! How about Ice-?"

He suddenly felt something against his crotch. He paled when he saw it was Winter's foot…her _armored_ foot.

"I suddenly feel the need to crush you."

 _Oh, I wish you wou-wait, NO! I'm not into that!_

Despite the fear, Roman decided to be snarky. "Sorry, sweetheart. I'm not into that."

He felt her foot press down.

"Justajoke! Justajoke! JUSTAJOKE!"

Winter narrowed her eyes, but otherwise removed her foot, much to Roman's relief.

He glared. "You haven't changed a bit."

"Neither have you," she retorted, surpassing his glare with her own.

…

…

…

She abruptly gave him a hug. "I've missed you."

Roman was shocked that she was hugging him right now, and he was finding it very difficult to resist hugging her back.

 _Don't give in, Roman. Don't. Give. In._

He hugged her back.

 _Fuck!_

…

…

…

 _I actually wouldn't mind that._

"I…missed you, too."

* * *

 _As Winter had hoped, her father had not liked Roman in the slightest._

 _He was snarky, rude, and the all-around bad boy she had been hoping for. She was surprised her father hadn't thrown Roman out the entire time they'd been there._

 _Instead, her father spoke to her in private, reprimanding her for not having better taste in men. Winter simply waved him off, arguing that there was more to Roman than meets the eye._

 _It was a lie at first, but Winter would soon realize there was some truth in the words she spoke._

* * *

 _Roman and Winter were "hanging out" to make it look like they were seeing each other, especially since a servant was tasked with following them._

 _It was supposed to be discreet, but Roman had caught on and informed Winter, who simply stated that they would "hang out" like couples do to fool the servant._

 _So, they did what normal couples would do: take a walk through the park, see a movie, and eat at a diner._

 _The first had been rather boring, the only highlight being Roman having to hide in a bush when the two cops he'd robbed all those weeks ago had appeared. Winter had simply rolled her eyes and stood near the bush, impatiently tapping her heeled foot on the ground._

 _She had laughed when a dog approached and attempted to pee on the bush, which resulted in Roman hightailing it out of there._

 _The movie had actually been enjoyable, if a bit scary…okay, a_ lot _scary. It had been about a security guard who worked the night shift at a pizza place. Throughout the movie, the guard had to deal with moving animatronics that were trying to kill him._

 _Jumpscares were a major point in the film, which had Winter clutching at Roman like a lifeline, the latter grinning all the while. The final jumpscare had caused Winter to jump into the arms of Roman and scream._

 _The movie certainly scared the girl. It scared Roman too, but he would never admit it._

 _The credits rolled and the lighting returned. Roman looked down at the scared Schnee and made a snarky comment._

" _Never knew you scared so easily."_

 _Realizing the position she was in, she blushed furiously and promptly slapped Roman, who simply grinned wider._

" _P-PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!"_

 _He pretended to think about it. "I don't know. I kinda like holding you like this."_

 _Next thing he knew, he was sent flying out of the building_ through _the walls with Winter, her knee painfully pressing against his crotch._

 _Déjà vu certainly was a bitch._

* * *

Winter had had a soldier bring two chairs so she and Roman could sit across from each other outside his holding cell. Roman would've questioned why he was out of his cell…but he figured that she was confident that he wouldn't try anything if he were out….

Which was true. He didn't have his weapon, and he _really_ didn't want to see how much better Winter had gotten in the past couple of years.

So they sat across from one another, waiting to see who would speak first.

…

…

…

"So," Roman began, breaking the silence. "How's life been treating you?"

Winter crossed her arms. "Well, I'm a high-ranking member of the Atlesian military. And sometimes I act as a liaison between the military and Schnee Dust Company."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "It's boring and interesting at the same time, if that's possible."

Roman pretty much knew most of that. While he had been away for nearly a decade…he had always kept an ear towards Atlas, specifically Winter, to see how she's been doing the past ten years.

"What of you?" Winter asked. "How's life been treating _you_?"

Roman knew she knew the answer to that, but he answered anyway. "Well, let's see: I'm a criminal mastermind; I've stolen more Dust than I could ever need; I've had to deal with those animals of the White Fang; I caused the Breach; and now I'm in a holding cell in the custody of Ironwood himself."

He pause for a moment. "…Overall, life's been good to me."

Winter frowned. "That reminds me."

 **SLAP!**

Roman now sported a red hand print on his left cheek.

" _That's_ for stealing from my father's company."

"…I'm not apologizing."

 **SLAP!**

Now Roman had a red hand print on his _right_ cheek.

"And _that's_ for putting my sister in danger."

"Hey, that's Red's fault for involving her team in _my_ business. Your sister just happened to be caught in the crossfire."

Winter made to slap him agai-.

"But…I _will_ apologize for that."

Winter stopped mid-slap.

"To be honest, I tried to make sure I didn't target her when I encountered those four…but they _really_ know how to get under one's skin. Kinda only saw them as targets rather than specific people, and because of that, I harmed your sister."

Roman lowered his head. "For that, I'm sorry."

…

…

…

"Do you remember when you defended me from those stupid boys?"

Again, was caught off guard by the question, but he chuckled.

"One doesn't forget defending a lady for the first time, especially when you're "dating" said lady."

* * *

 _After nursing his aching manhood and calming down an irate Winter, they made their way back to the Schnee household._

 _It would have been uneventful…had it not been for a group of teens blocking the way._

" _Well look what we have here guys!" exclaimed teen #1. "A hot, hot, hothothothothot hottie!"_

" _Why don't you hang out with us instead of this loser?" asked teen #2. "We'll be_ much _better-." He licked his lips. "-_ company _."_

 _Winter humphed. "As if any of you are good enough for me."_

 _The group oohed._

" _Looks like we got us a feisty one, guys," teen #1 said, grinning like a pervert. "And I like 'em feisty."_

" _Us too, boss," the rest of the teens agreed._

 _Winter glared at them. "Do you know who I am? I am Winter Schnee…yes,_ that _Schnee."_

…

…

…

" _That makes you all the more enticing."_

 _Winter's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"_

 _Teen #1 grinned. "You heard me. Now that I know you're a Schnee, I just_ gotta _get me some."_

 _The other teens weren't so sure about this._

" _Uh, boss?" one asked. "You sure about this?"_

" _Oh, I'm sure. If y'all are scared, then you can just stay back while I have this girl all to myself."_

 _Winter prepared herself to bring pain unto the one stalking towards her. Before she could do anything, however, Roman stepped in front of her._

" _I believe the lady doesn't want anything to do with you," he stated._

 _Teen #1 scoffed. "What're you? Her boyfriend or something?"_

" _As a matter of fact-." Roman moved Winter to the side sensing what would inevitably happen. "-I am."_

 _Both stared at each other unwaveringly._

…

…

…

" _Tch."_

 _Teen #1 threw a fist at Roman, who promptly moved to the side and dodged it. He moved his foot in place, causing the teen to trip and fall flat on his face._

 _The other teens were shocked at what just happened. Winter cupped her mouth to stifle a laugh. Roman smirked as the teen got up and glared at him, holding his nose._

" _Y-You-." Teen #1 turned to the other teens. "Don't just stand there! Get him!"_

 _The group of teens snapped out of their shock and charged at Roman. He, for his part, moved towards a trash can that happened to be nearby. He picked it up and chucked it at the approaching teens. Some moved out of the way, while three had been knocked back._

 _One teen made to punch Roman. He ducked and leg swept the teen, quickly stomping on his stomach to knock the air out of him. Another teen came from behind in an attempt to get the drop on him. Roman simply drove his elbow into the teen's chin, knocking him back._

 _Two teens made to double team him. He charged at one and shoulder tackled him. As the teen was downed, Roman brought his foot back into the other teens gut and elbowed him as he was bent over._

 _Teen #1 pulled out a knife and angrily charged at Roman. Roman backed away from each stab, intentionally moving backwards towards the trash can used earlier. As he reached it, he pulled the lid up to use as a shield._

 _The teen continually made stab attempts on Roman, who blocked with the lid. Roman then bashed the lid on the teens hand, making him drop the knife. The teen cried out, only to be cut off as Roman bashed the lid against the teen's head, knocking him to the ground._

 _Roman looked at the many downed teens that were groaning in pain. Satisfied, he dropped the lid and moved toward the stunned Schnee._

 _Unfortunately, he didn't make sure the teen with the knife was unconscious. The teen quickly got up, knife in hand…._

 _And stabbed Roman._

" _Agh!"_

 _Roman fell to the ground, pressing down on the knife wound to slow the bleeding. The teen pinned Roman down, dropping the knife for some reason._

" _I'm going to enjoy this!"_

 _The teen unleashed a barrage of right fists down upon Roman. The latter somehow was able to keep track of each hit, counting a total of six. The teen was ready to bring out lucky number seven-_

 _ **POW!**_

 _-only to receive a kick to the face, courtesy of Winter Schnee._

 _The teen flew back and crashed through a wall, unconscious._

 _Winter was immediately by Roman's side, a worried look on her face._

 _Roman simply smirked. "Heh, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were worried about me."_

 _ **SMACK!**_

" _Ow!"_

 _Roman now sported a bump on his head. He looked and saw Winter glaring at him._

" _Of course I'm worried about you, you boob! You're hurt!"_

 _A Schnee Dust Company vehicle pulled up next to them, the driver being the servant who followed them. He quickly got out and helped Roman into the vehicle, Winter sitting next to him._

 _They drove off at a fast speed back to the Schnee estate._

* * *

Winter frowned. "Right…you sustained a knife wound."

"And several blows to my pretty face," Roman added.

Winter rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You're not has handsome as you believe yourself to be."

"Handsome enough for you to admit in your diary."

"What are you-?" Winter stopped and glared at Roman. "You read my diary again?!"

"On multiple occasions, actually." He shivered under her death glare. "It's not my fault your diary's an interesting read."

Her armored foot was _once_ again placed on his crotch.

This time, however, he decided to call her bluff.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you _want_ the D."

…

…

…

 **STOMP!**

Roman paled when she stomped on the area _right in front of_ his crotch, tearing though the seat.

She wasn't bluffing.

Smirking, she retook her seat. "Now, what were you saying?"

Roman gulped. "…Look. All joking aside, I just wanted to know what you really thought of me."

"That doesn't give you the right to go through my _diary_!"

Roman shrugged. "Eh. I tend to not think of what's right and wrong."

"Cleary," Winter scowled.

Roman knew she meant more than the diary when she said that, but he ignored it.

"In any case," he continued. "It was nice to know that I was growing on you. Probably should've seen the signs when you were practically playing nurse after I got hurt."

* * *

 _Roman and Winter were now back at the Schnee estate. The Shnee's personal physician was their patching Roman up, with Winter waiting at his side. He caught her looking at his bare upper body from time to time, though he never teased her for it in fear she'd cause him pain._

 _Now Winter was holding an ice pack to the bruises on Roman's face._

" _Agh!" Roman winced. "Careful!"_

" _Sorry!" Winter carefully held the ice pack._

 _It was at that moment that Winter's father entered._

" _Winter." He turned to Roman. "Roman."_

" _Hello father."_

 _Roman simply nodded._

 _Mr. Schnee pursed his lips. "I heard of what happened. Are you alright, Winter?"_

" _Yes, I am," she said. "Thanks to Roman."_

 _Mr. Schnee turned his gaze on Roman. "Yes, I had been informed of what Mr. Torchwick her did."_

 _Both stared at each other, not breaking eye contact._

" _I must admit, I've been skeptical of you, boy…and still am." Mr. Schnee sighed. "But…I know when to give gratitude where it's due. So, as a father…I thank you."_

 _Roman simply looked to the side. "It was nothing, really. Had to look out for my girl after all."_

 _Mr. Schnee simply nodded. "Right. Well, I have business to attend to, so if you'll excuse me."_

 _He left without another word._

…

…

…

" _I think I'm growing on him," Roman smirked._

" _Doubtful," Winter said with a roll of her eyes. "Still…even I must admit that you were like a knight in shining armor when you defended me like that."_

 _Roman shook his head. "Not really. If that were the case, that would make you the damsel in distress. And you_ certainly _weren't that. You could've taken those guys easy."_

" _Then why did you defend me?"_

 _Roman was silent for a moment. "…Guess it was the right thing to do? I don't know. You'd have been better off with better people than those fools."_

" _Better people," Winter scoffed. "You mean like you?"_

"… _No. Not like me."_

 _Roman looked down at his hands for a moment before getting off the table._

" _Well, I think I should take my leave."_

" _I'll walk you out."_

 _Both made their way through the estate until they reached the gateway. They turned to face each other._

" _Thank you again, Roman," Winter said. "It was sweet of you to defend me."_

" _Think nothing of it," he replied. "That's what "boyfriends" do, after all."_

 _Winter giggled, which brought a smile to Roman's face._

" _Well, I'll see you la-."_

 _Roman was silenced by Winter, who placed a kiss on his cheek._

 _He stood there with wide eyes and a look of shock on his face. Winter simply giggled and turned._

" _See you soon, Roman."_

 _She walked away, Roman watching her go. He absentmindedly touched the spot where she kissed him._

 _That kiss felt right…and_ genuine _._

 _He noticed Winter looking back at him, still walking, with a smile before turning her head back._

 _Roman couldn't help but grin like an idiot as he made his way back to his place._

* * *

"I was _not_ playing nur-!"

"You definitely were," Roman grinned. "And don't think I never noticed you checking me out when I was being tended to. I knew I was good looking, but to think I was able to catch the attention of _the_ Winter Schnee…that's says something about a guy."

Winter turned and crossed her arms, hiding her blush. "You really have an ego problem."

"It's only a problem if it's not justified."

"Which it never is."

"You wound my heart."

"Like you wounded _mine_."

Roman winced.

Right…that.

"…I never wanted to hurt you like I di-."

 **SLAP!**

"Lies!"

Roman nursed his aching cheek as Winter glared at him.

"How did you _think_ I'd react when you did what you did?!"

* * *

 _Roman staked out the Schnee estate at night. He watched the guards do their nightly patrols._

 _Ever since he started "dating" Winter, he had been at her house a lot. As he was there, he took mental notes of every little thing: the hallways, the location of rooms, the direction each regular guard took._

 _During the_ very _few times he was their at_ night _(Winter invited him in secret…they just talked! Nothing more!), he made sure to memorize the layout of how the guards patrolled._

 _Now was his time to strike._

 _He gazed at the security camera as it turned left and right in its usual motion. The moment it turned away from his position, he made a beeline for the gate. He quickly scrambled up and hopped it, hiding behind in a nearby bush before the camera turned back._

 _That's step one._

 _He scanned the front of the estate. Seeing that the guards weren't gazing in his direction, he ran towards another bush near the entrance. Once there, he crawled along the ground, right under the guards' noses._

 _He quietly stood from his prone position and shuffled around the corner of the estate. He gazed up to find a window…a window_ he _made sure to have unlocked._

 _He bent his knees and jumped, grasping the edge of the windowsill. He propped himself up with his elbows and quietly opened the window, pulling himself inside._

 _That's step two._

* * *

 _Roman quietly snuck around the inside of the Schnee household. He made his way to the second story, where all the bedrooms were at. He made his first stop in the nearest bedroom:_

 _Weiss._

 _He quietly opened the door, slipping in and closing it. He checked the bed and found Weiss to be fast asleep, a bit of drool leaking out as she clutched at her Beowolf plushie…._

 _If he were anyone else, he'd have called it adorable._

 _Roman scanned the room until he laid eyes on what he'd been looking for._

 _A Dust crystal._

 _But not just any Dust crystal._

 _If her annoying bragging had been anything to go by, this was a shard of a much bigger rare type of Dust that has yet to be distributed to the public. Turns out rare types of Dust are hard to come by, hence the word "rare"._

 _Only a few crystals had been found, and good ole' Papa Schnee had decided to have a shard cut off to give to Weiss, while the rest was put in a secret location that only Mr. Schnee knew about._

 _Shame that secret location wasn't on the estate, but Roman would take what he could get._

 _Roman slipped on a pair of gloves (no need to leave fingerprints). He carefully lifted the glass container as quietly as he could. He picked up the shard and inspected it. Odd that someone was willing to pay top Lien for something this small, but he wasn't one to turn down a chance to make a good amount of Lien._

 _He slowly placed the container back in position._

 _As he turned, he heard mumbling. He froze and turned towards the bed, where a sleepy Weiss was stirring…._

 _Well, not exactly stirring. More like she was unconsciously reaching for something. Upon closer inspection, Roman saw that the Beowolf plushie had fallen off the bed._

 _Again, if he were someone else, he would've found this adorable._

 _He quietly stepped towards the plushie and picked it up, placing it within reach of the sleepy girl's hands. She found her mark and clutched her plushie, an adorable smile on her face as she soundly slept._

…

…

…

Oh to hell with it.

 _Roman awed._

 _He quietly stepped out of the room and looked at the room across from him: Winter's room…._

 _He'd save that for last._

 _Roman tiptoed through the hall until he found Mr. Schnee's room. He found the door slightly ajar. He peeked in to find it empty, but the light for the bathroom within was on, the sound of running water echoing out._

 _Mr. Schnee was in the shower._

 _Perfect._

 _Roman stepped in and searched the room for anything of value. He found jewelry that belonged to the mother (whom Roman strangely never saw) and pocketed it. He continued searching until he found a safe behind a picture of the Schnee family. Cracking his knuckles, he fiddled with the locking mechanism, hearing the whirring coming from within. A click was heard and the safe opened._

Score.

 _Roman opened the safe and peered inside. He found what appeared to be an emergency stack of Lien meant for when on the run…okay, maybe not that, but that's what he'd call it. He took it. There were documents regarding boring business ventures, but something else caught his eye._

 _A ledger._

 _He picked it up and opened it. He casually flipped through the pages until a certain page caught his eye_

" _Outside" associates._

…

…

…

 _That seemed like a list of questionable people._

 _He scanned the list until one particular name confirmed his suspicions._

 _Hei Xiong. Otherwise known as "Junior". A man who ran a club yet was an information broker, possibly one of the best in Vale._

 _Roman pulled out his scroll and took a picture of the names. Might come in handy to know these people._

 _Satisfied, he placed the ledger back in the safe and closed it. Making sure Mr. Schnee was still in the bathroom (the running water had yet to stop), Roman quietly stepped out of the room._

 _One more stop._

* * *

 _Roman stood in Winter's room, watching as she slept…._

 _No, he was_ not _a creep. She just looked so…peaceful. Much different from the angry Winter he's had to deal with from time to time._

 _Oh, and apparently_ she _had a plushie too, only this one was an Ursa._

 _Seriously, what value could Grimm plushies possibly have? It made no sense!_

 _Shaking the thoughts away, he moved around the room quietly, searching for anything worth stealing. Other than a few dust crystals, there wasn't much._

 _He frowned. Guess this was all he'd get._

 _That was step three._

 _Now for step four…get the fuck out of there._

 _Getting ready to leave, he found her scroll lying on the table._

…

…

…

 _Old habits die hard._

 _He took the scroll out and opened the diary app. He took note of several new entries that were made ever since he and Winter met, which was a month ago._

 _He skimmed through some, noting how she blatantly insulted him, yet admitted he wasn't as bad as she thought he'd be. The latest entry made his eyes widen._

* * *

 _ **Dear Diary,**_

 _ **I can't get Roman out of my head!**_

 _ **He's a smartass, snarky, and has an inflated ego. And yet he's somehow garnered my attention.**_

 _ **I suppose it started when he defended me from those stupid boys last month. I could've easily handled them, yet he stood up for me…I was touched, honestly. He somewhat resembled a knight in shining armor….**_

 _ **Well, replace shining armor with a gaudy outfit. Really, has he no sense of fashion?**_

 _A tick mark appeared on Roman's forehead._

 _ **But even so, he's charmed me. There was more to him than meets the eye…no, I didn't take that from a movie! You can't prove that!**_

 _ **Point is, I believe I'm actually…**_ **falling** _ **for him. I can't explain it, but my heart beats erratically whenever I'm near him. I feel like there are butterflies in my stomach. And one time I touched myself when thinking about hi-**_

* * *

 _And_ that _was all he was willing to read before closing the app, his face beat red._

 _This girl…_ liked _him?_

 _Preposterous! All she's done is cause him physical pain whenever he "steps out of line". If he had a Lien for each time she kneed him in the crotch…he'd be able to rent out an apartment for a year._

 _Nothing she's done has shown even an ounce of care. It's like she was a Tsundere or someth-_

…

…

…

Dear Oum, she's a Tsundere.

 _Roman certainly knew how to pick 'em…well, he didn't actually_ pick _her. He just sort of…._

 _The point is: she likes him. But does_ he _like_ her _?_

 _In all honesty, he might have…._

 _But he had no intention of exploring this feeling. He came here for a reason: to rob them. In any case, he was only a pretend boyfriend. This was all just pretend to spite daddy, after all._

 _And yet this feeling…._

 _He stepped towards the bed, cupping Winter's cheek. The girl smiled in content, snuggling into the new source of warmth._

 _Roman was tempted to kiss her…and he almost did. He bent down towards those cherry lips, ready to kiss the girl that had fallen for him…and whom he_ may _have fallen for himself._

 _He stopped himself at the last minute._

 _No…this wasn't going to happen._

 _He stepped back, removing his hand from the girl's cheek. The girl frowned in her sleep, shifting and turning in bed away from Roman._

 _Roman looked around and found some paper and a pen._

 _He quickly wrote a letter of sorts for Winter to find._

 _Five minutes later, he was out of the Schnee estate._

 _Half an hour later, he was on a Bullhead to Vale._

* * *

"Honestly," Roman said. "I pretty much expected you to react like this."

 **SLAP!**

"…I deserved that."

 **SLAP!**

"…And that."

 **SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!**

"…And those."

She made for another slap, but Roman would have none of it. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.

"I think that's enough."

Winter scowled. "I'll tell you when you've had enough!"

Roman scowled in return. "What did you think was going to happen? I'm a thief. Always have been. Always will be. You knew what you were risking when we made that deal."

"You stole from my sister!"

"That's what happens when you let a thief in your house!" he countered.

"She did nothing to you!"

"Neither did the other people I stole from!" Roman lowered his voice. "I saw an opportunity and I took it. And now…I'm Remnant's most wanted."

"You _were_ ," she growled. "Now you're in a cell. Where you belong."

 _If only you knew_ why _I'm in this cell._

Roman didn't say that out loud, though, and let go of Winter. "You really think this will keep me locked up for long? I'll escape eventually. I always do."

"Not this time." Winter glared at him. "You're in the custody of the world's mightiest military power."

"Which will make it all the more satisfying when I escape."

Roman turned back towards his cell and walked in, taking his seat.

"I'm done talking."

Winter glared at the man who broke her heart. She wanted nothing more than to knock the teeth out of his mouth.

And she would have…had she not received a message on her scroll.

She opened it and found that Ironwood wanted to see her.

Right…she still needed to be reprimanded for fighting that drunk, _Qrow_.

She approached the cell and pressed a switch, closing the cell door. Roman could hear the sound of her footsteps as she left.

…

…

…

They came back a moment later, and the cell door opened, revealing Winter once again.

Roman sighed. "Look, I have nothing more to say to-."

"I loved you."

Those three words made Roman go into a shocked silence. He knew of Winter's feelings back then, but he never imagined her saying it out loud.

"And I still do."

 _That_ sent Roman's mind into overdrive in an attempt to process what he just heard. By the time his brain rebooted, he still couldn't fathom the words spoken by the Ice Goddess before him.

 _She…she…._

"And what of you?"

Roman snapped out of his thoughts when Winter said that.

"Huh?"

"Did you feel the same way? And still do?"

Roman remained silent.

…

…

…

…

…

"Winter," he finally said. "We come from two different worlds and different upbringings. You're the daughter of the head of the Schnee Dust Company. I'm a criminal mastermind…people like that aren't meant to be together."

"You didn't answer my question."

Roman bit hi slip. "…I'm not sure I _can_ answer that."

Winter frowned.

"I'll admit, it was nice being your "boyfriend" when we were young. And I'm pretty sure I felt anger to those guys that hit on you back then…but I can't really say if it was love or not."

Now Roman frowned. "Perhaps if I had taken the chance to explore whatever it was I felt, things would be different."

"You should have."

"But I _didn't_." Roman looked straight into her eyes. "I made my choice, and my path was clear. I was meant for the criminal lifestyle. And I don't regret the choices I made to get where I am."

He could see Winter shaking.

"Well…perhaps there was _one_ choice."

Both remained silent as they stared each other down.

…

…

…

"Stand up," Winter commanded.

Roman raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You heard me. Stand. Up."

Roman simply sighed and did as she said. He wound up looking down at her, and she up. He had forgotten about the height difference.

"Despite my anger," she said. "There's something I've wanted to do for a _long_ time."

Roman would've questioned what that "something" was…had she not mashed her lips to his.

Roman couldn't possibly describe what he was feeling at the moment. It felt like fireworks were going off in his chest. He began to kiss Winter back. His tongue demanded entry, which Winter allowed. Their tongues danced with one another as their kiss deepened.

Roman felt like one of those guys from a cheesy romance flick where they kiss the girl of their dreams….

A shame the kiss couldn't last…or rather, he wouldn't _allow_ it to last. Mainly because this kiss _almost_ made him regret his decision all those years ago….

Almost.

He held Winter by her shoulders and gently pushed her back, separating them. Winter gazed at him with a hurt and confused look.

Roman sighed sadly. "Well…I think I can answer that question, now."

Winter looked hopeful.

"But…it doesn't really matter now, does it?"

"W-What?"

"Winter…we're on opposing sides. You're a high-ranking member of the Atlesian military. I'm a criminal mastermind in the custody of your superior officer. I have no intention of changing who I am, and I know you don't either."

He looked down at his feet. "This can't happen."

Winter reached out to him, but he grabbed her wrist and gently shoved it away.

He sat back down, not looking up at her. "Goodbye, Winter."

Despite looking down, he could see tears hitting the ground.

She was crying.

It took all his will to _not_ stand up and comfort her.

She took a step back, leaving the cell.

"And one more thing," Roman added. "…Don't come back to visit…for _both_ our sakes."

He could still see the tears hitting the ground, yet she didn't make a sound. He did here her say one thing….

"Goodbye…Roman."

His heart tore itself apart at her strained voice, but he didn't look up. The cell door closed, and Winter's footsteps could be heard fading. Before it faded completely, he heard something he hoped he wouldn't hear.

Sobbing.

Roman couldn't help but allow a solitary tear to escape his watery eyes.

In another life, Roman might have chosen to be with Winter…but life was not kind to those of his stature.

Even if he wanted to be with her _now_ …it was far too late.

The time would come when he would be busted out of this cell so that Cinder's final move could be made.

Until then…he sat alone in his cell, wallowing in his shame.

* * *

 _Winter sat in her bed as she heard her father yell at security guards._

 _Someone had broken into the estate and robbed them. Not much was taken, but enough to warrant her father's anger._

 _Across from her room, Weiss was sobbing into her pillow. Her shard of Dust had been stolen._

 _Winter herself had found some Dust crystals missing, though she could easily get more._

 _What made her sad…was the letter she found on her desk addressed to her._

* * *

 _ **Dear Winter,**_

 _ **By the time you read this, I'll be long gone. Yes, I'm the one who robbed your house.**_

 _ **Shocking, isn't it?**_

 _ **In all honesty, you really should've known better than to allow a thief into your house from time to time. Memorized the layout of the place easy, along with the patrols of the night guards.**_

 _ **It was like taking candy from a baby.**_

 _ **Let's be honest, Winter. This would never have worked out between us. We're from two different worlds. And I'm destined for different things. Things you can't be apart of.**_

 _ **Before I left, I took one last look in your diary (old habits die hard) and found out about how you feel about me…how you**_ **really** _ **feel.**_

 _ **In all honesty, I'm sorry you fell for a guy like me. And I'm not sure if I feel the same way. I'll probably never be sure after tonight.**_

 _ **I wish you the best in your future endeavors.**_

 _ **Sarcastically yours,**_

 _ **Roman.**_

* * *

 _Winter glared at the letter, tears streaming down her eyes. She did not sob._

 _She_ would _not sob._

 _She…._

 _She…._

 _Winter tossed the letter aside and jumped in her bed, burying her head in her pillow, sobbing the day away._

* * *

 _Roman stood in front of a desk, the seat of which was occupied by a lone man smoking a cigarette. Said man was currently inspecting the shard of Dust to be sure it wasn't fake._

 _It wasn't._

 _The man smiled and looked to Roman. "Nice work, kid. Breaking into the Schnee estate is hard enough. But doing so and leaving_ undetected _…you've got skill."_

 _Roman nodded. "Now what?"_

" _Now." The man blew out a cloud of smoke, standing up. "I get in contact with the private collector who wanted this. He pays us, and we split the money."_

 _The man approached Roman and patted him on the shoulder. "Stick with me, kid. Do well enough in the future, and you'll have the world groveling at your feet. They hear your name, and they'll be instilled with fear."_

 _Roman smirked…but it was a sad smirk._

 _He knew it took a special kind of scum to be at the top of the criminal underworld…._

 _Well, he broke a girl's heart, and somehow broke into the Schnee estate._

 _He had what it takes._

 _Yet, his heart would have a hole in it all the while._

* * *

 **A/N: And the tragedy of this story is…love doesn't conquer all. They love each other, but can never be together.**

 **I believe I'll call this ship...Roman Empire. Unless someone else has a better ship name, I'm going with that.**

 **Leave a review to tell me what you thought. If you like it, give this a fav.**

 **And for the record…I literally wrote this as a one-shot and it shall remain a one-shot. Depending on the remainder of Volume 3, I** _ **might**_ **do a second chapter or a sequel one-shot.**

 **For now, though, this fic is complete.**

 **Hope you enjoyed my second attempt at bringing a ship to life!**

 **LATERS!**


	2. Never To Be Together Again

**A/N: Well, I had wanted to start this after seeing Episode 11, but I wanted to wait till the finale to make sure that Roman was in fact dead. It was confirmed by Rooster Teeth on a live stream or something.**

 **Guess this is a tragedy in more ways than one, huh?**

 **Well, without further ado, let's get this final installment going.**

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY._

* * *

 **Never To Be Together Again**

* * *

Neo stood before the Schnee estate, taking note of the many guards.

She looked at the package in her arms and remembered her conversation with Roman back on the ship.

* * *

 _Roman fiddled with several buttons on the console of the warship he had just commandeered. It was like he were a child again, playing with his new toy._

" _Hmm, let's see. What does..._ this _button do?"_

 _The sound of an explosion is heard._

" _Oh fun! How about…this one?"_

 _He pushes the button and listens for any noise._

…

…

…

…

" _Hm. Alright. Nothing."_

 _Neo approached with a scroll that had the insignia of the Queen._

" _Oh-ho-ho!" he chuckled as he took the scroll and inserted it in the console. "Now this one…this one's gonna be fun!"_

 _It was fun because the virus spread throughout the ship and linked to the Knights and Paladins that were scattered throughout Vale and Beacon. All were hacked and promptly turned on their former masters._

 _Roman grinned as he played with more buttons, then felt a tap on his shoulder._

" _Yes, Neo?"_

"…"

" _Things_ are _going to hell down there, huh? Good thing we're up here."_

"…"

" _Oh please, as if anyone would actually try to board this ship."_

"…"

" _Fine, it's a possibility. I'll give you that."_

"…"

 _Look, how about we talk about something other than possible scenarios, okay?"_

 _Neo pursed her lips her a moment as she thought of something to say._

"…"

" _What?"_

"…"

 _Roman sighed. "Neo, we've been over this. I just see you as a coworker. Maybe a friend, but mothing more."_

 _Neo crossed her arms and pouted._

" _Don't try to make me feel bad with that look!_ You _are the one who fell for_ me _, not the other way around!"_

"…"

" _Wait, what?"_

"…"

 _Roman grit his teeth. "No, this has nothing to do with past loves. Now dro-."_

"…"

" _Fine, yes. I only had one past 'love', but that has nothing to do with this!"_

"…"

 _Roman actually laughed. "HA! Me?! Still in love with her?! Oh, Neo, that's rich!"_

 _Neo narrowed her eyes, but stayed silent._

 _Thankful, Roman returned to the console._

…

…

…

…

" _But, um…hypothetically speaking-."_

"… _?"_

" _Yes, I know what I said about possible scenarios, but…just listen, okay?"_

 _Neo nodded._

 _Roman sighed. "Right, um…just…on the off chance I don't come out of this alive, you know what to do, right?"_

"… _?"_

" _Neo, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you're better at surviving than I am, and I've survived quite the ordeals."_

"…"

 _I have too! Look, you know what I'm talking about, right?"_

 _Neo nodded, raising her hands to form a box._

" _Yes,_ that _package. I want you to take that to the person it's addressed to. Will you do that?"_

 _He was hoping she would and that she wasn't holding a grudge against him about not feeling the same way about her that she does him._

"…"

" _Really?" he asked, just to be sure._

 _Neo nodded._

 _Roman sighed in relief. "That's good to hear."_

 _Neo gave a warm smile…which then turned into a mischievous smirk._

"… _?"_

" _W-What?!" Roman stuttered with a slight blush. "No! The past love I was talking about and the person I want you to take the package to are not the same person!"_

"… _~"_

" _Of course I can't fool you, because I'm not trying to! They're two completely different people!"_

"… _~"_

 _Roman groaned. He wasn't going to make any headway with Neo._

" _Ugh, fine. Yes, they're the same person."_

"… _?"_

" _Her name? It's Winter Schnee."_

 _Neo pretty much gave Roman a flat stare. Then she took out her scroll, searched up a picture of Winter and showed it to Roman._

" _Yes,_ that _Winter Schnee."_

 _Neo once again stared at Roman._

…

…

…

"… _!"_

 _Roman deadpanned. "Ah yes. What could've possibly caused a girl like that to fall for me? Oh it certainly is a mystery."_

"… _!"_

" _Yes, yes. I'd have to be not right in the head to pass up on a girl like her."_

"… _!"_

" _Okay…did not need to know that."_

"… _!"_

" _A threeso- no! She would never have gone for it!"_

"… _~"_

" _No, I did not just consider it! I would never consider it!"_

"… _~"_

" _Okay, you know what? This conversation is over."_

 _Roman turned back to the console to avoid Neo's teasing smile. He really wished something would happen to get Neo to leave him alone._

 _ **KA-THUNK!**_

…

…

…

 _Ask and you shall receive._

" _Go see what that is."_

 _Neo nodded and left the deck._

* * *

Neo couldn't help but smile at the memory. It was the last conversation they had before…before….

Neo shook her head and wiped her eyes of unshed tears. Now was not the time to mourn.

She had a job to do.

* * *

Winter walked through the estate with military form. She had flown in when she heard of what happened in Vale and that Weiss was being brought back for safety.

As she was walking down the corridor, she noticed something odd.

The door to her old room was slightly ajar.

…

…

…

Winter drew her rapier and slowly stepped towards the door. She opened the door slowly….

And found a young woman next to her bed. The woman was rather short with multicolored hair and a style of clothing that matched. What was offsetting was her eyes: one was pink, the other brown. In one hand, she held an umbrella of all things, while in the other was a package.

"Who are you?" Winter demanded.

The short woman said nothing. Instead, she slowly placed the package on Winter's old bed-

 **FWOOP!**

-then disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Neo reappeared around a street corner away from the Schnee estate.

She had done it.

She had completed the final task Roman had set for her.

She turned away from the estate and strolled away, a tear roaming down her cheek.

 _Now_ she could mourn.

* * *

Winter ran towards the window to see if the invader was escaping on foot, but found no one. Scowling, she turned to the package that lay on her bed.

The obvious thing to do would be to have an expert inspect the package to see if it was booby trapped….

Instead, Winter cautiously stepped towards the package to inspect the writing on it. When she did…her breath hitched.

[ _To: Winter Schnee_ ]

[ _From: A thief_ ]

Winter immediately tore the wrapping tape off and opened the flaps to peer inside.

What she saw left her wide-eyed in shock.

For inside the package was…a _very_ familiar shard of Dust.

Winter carefully picked up the shard and inspected it. While she knew her fair share about Dust despite joining the Atlas military, she would still need to consult with an expert…or perhaps Weiss.

Still…to Winter's limited expertise, this was, in fact, the shard of a rare Dust crystal. A shard that had been stolen a long time ago….

And now it has been returned.

Winter returned her gaze to the package and found a slip of paper with writing on it. She picked it up and read it.

 **Dear Winter,**

 **If you're reading this, then I've obviously suffered a terrible fate that I more than likely deserved. I wrote this so that I could convey some of my...final thoughts towards you.**

Winter's breath hitched again.

 **When I chose to do what I did, I knew that there would be no turning back. I had betrayed your trust and chosen the life of a criminal rather than be with you….**

 **It wasn't until five years later that I started regretting that decision.**

Winter blinked away tears that began to form.

 **You see Winter…I enjoyed the time we spent together as a pretend couple, and after having reflected upon that time…I realized that I had fallen for you without even knowing it. The way you smiled, laughed, and somehow brightened my day…you know, when you weren't being a bitch and delivering physical pain onto me.**

Winter couldn't help but laugh, even though she should've been angry at Roman for calling her a bitch from the grave.

 **Despite all that, you always have been beautiful. Not to mention the killer body. *Sigh* I'll never get to, as they say, tap that, now will I?**

Winter shook her head, somehow not offended at what Roman wro- wait.

Did Roman write in a sigh?

 **While I regret having left you like that, I honestly don't know what would've happened if I had stayed. For all we know, our relationship might not have worked out.**

 **Even so…I can't help but imagine what life would've been like had I stayed and it** _ **had**_ **worked. It would've been a good time: me being snarky, you causing me physical pain.**

 **The** _ **perfect**_ **relationship.**

And there was Roman's sarcasm.

 **Yet I would've enjoyed it all the same…no, I don't have a pain fetish. Don't even let that thought cross your mind.**

This brought another laugh from Winter.

 **And later on…I would've asked you to marry me.**

Tears began to reform.

 **It would've been a wonderful wedding. Nothing too big or extravagant…then again, considering you're a Schnee, it would've been just that. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure your father would've approved.**

Most likely not.

 **Still…a time after being married, I would've liked to have a few kids. Heh, can you imagine it? Little Torchwicks running around and pickpocketing people, and the little Schnees would be out there causing pain to other unlucky guys that caught their attention**

 **Oh the joy.**

Winter smiled a little. It would've been quite a sight to see child versions of themselves running around. Winter would certainly have scolded the young Torchwicks for pickpocketing, while Roman would've secretly given them a pat on the back. As for young Schnees…Roman would've most likely felt sympathy towards those given pain by the young Schnees, while Winter herself would applaud them.

 **But…I suppose this is just wishful thinking. It would've never happened…well, perhaps it** _ **could**_ **have if I had stayed, but there's no point in wondering about that, now is there?**

 **In the package along with this letter is the rare shard of Dust I had stolen from your sister all those years ago. I had sold it to a private collector…only to rob him three years later. I had been trying to muster up the courage to return it, yet I never could.**

 **Guess that makes me a coward.**

Winter frowned. She would've agreed…but, more than likely, had the roles been reversed, she'd feel the same way he did.

 **Regardless, I held onto it in the hopes that I could return it one day, and eventually decided to have it returned upon my death…which was likely since the people I'm working with have plans that will be devastating to Vale and Beacon, not to mention the other kingdoms.**

 **I will admit, I only worked with them just so I could survive. Selfish, I know. This will probably be another regret to add to the list, only I guess I didn't live long enough to regret it.**

 **When you return the shard to your sister, don't let her know it was me who returned it. It's for the best.**

Indeed it was.

When Roman had robbed them, Winter had kept quiet about it. Yet, when Roman stopped showing up, her father had put two and two together. He certainly gave her a good "I told you so". Though he didn't act on catching Roman, wanting to keep what happened a secret from the public.

Weiss hardly remembered the boy Winter had dated. Having been kept busy with studies, she had hardly ever seen Roman. Yet, she knew he had been the one to rob them, but was told to keep quiet.

Though she held a grudge against him for stealing from her…and breaking Winter's heart.

 **Well, I suppose I should end this soon. I'm needed for a job. The only thing I can say is that I regret not staying with you all those years ago, and….**

 **I love you.**

 **And I will always love you, even in death.**

 **Goodbye Winter.**

 **Sincerely and regretfully,**

 **Roman**

Tears dripped onto the note as Winter finished reading it. She furiously wiped them away, but the tears continued to flow. She clutched the note to her chest and began to cry.

The memories of their time together when they were young began to flow into her mind. When they first met, when they went out, how he annoyed her from time to time, which had been rewarded with knees to the crotch. The time he defended her against those boys….

It truly was wonderful.

"Winter?"

Winter looked up in shock to find Weiss standing at the door…she probably should've closed that. She quickly wiped her eyes and hid the letter and shard behind her back.

"W-Weiss! H-Hello!"

Weiss stepped towards Winter with a worried expression. "Are you alright?"

Winter nodded rapidly "Y-Yes! Of course I am! I just…."

"Winter?"

Winter sighed. "I…I had received word that an old beau died recently."

"O-Oh, Winter…I'm so sor-." Weiss paused. "Wait…didn't you only date one person?"

Winter winced, knowing what was coming. "Yes."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "And didn't that person rob us and hurt you?"

Winter sighed. "Yes."

Weiss would've more than likely said good riddance, had she not seen Winter in her saddened state. She figured Winter still felt something for that no-good thief.

"But," Winter continued, bringing Weiss's attention back to her. "I suppose he did have some…redeeming qualities left in him."

Before Weiss could question what she meant, Winter pulled out the shard from behind her back and presented it to her younger sister.

Weiss couldn't have been more shocked. "M-My shard!"

Weiss took the shard and quickly inspected it. She pulled a microscope lens from…somewhere and placed it to her eye to inspect the shard more closely.

"O-Oh Oum," Weiss stuttered. "This is it. This is my shard!"

Winter smiled. "It is."

Weiss stared at it for a moment. "…He still hurt you. I'm not forgiving him for that."

"I don't expect you to."

"…But I wish he were still alive."

Winter sighed sadly, knowing Weiss would say differently if she knew it was Roman.

"Me too, Weiss. Me too."

Weiss hugged her sister, who returned the hug. They stayed like that for a few minutes, letting one comfort the other, before they separated.

"By the way," Weiss said. "What was his name again? I hardly saw him and never got his name. Or better yet, I don't remember it."

Winter frowned for a moment. She brought the letter from behind her back and gazed at it. Before Weiss could question what it was, Winter folded it twice.

"It's best you don't know."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Just because…perhaps I'll tell you someday. For now…I believe it's time we spent some time together."

Weiss couldn't hide the ecstatic grin on her face. "Wonderful! I'll just put this in my room and we can go!"

Weiss rushed to her room to put away her returned shard.

Winter turned and walked towards the window. She gazed up at the broken moon and let a sad smile form on her face.

"I'll always love you too, Roman," she said.

As she closed the window, her gaze turned to a small jewelry box she always treasured when she was young. She stepped towards it, opened it, and placed the folded letter inside. She closed it, making sure to lock it and hide the key where only she could find it.

She walked towards the door of her old room. Before she could step out, she felt a hand fall on her shoulder. Startled, she turned around…and found nothing.

Strange. She could've sworn someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Winter! Are you ready?"

Winter turned and found Weiss already down the corridor, waiting on her.

"Just a moment!"

She turned back towards her room…and she swore she saw a _very_ familiar man leaning against the wall opposite her door, arms crossed and smiling at her.

Shocked, she wiped her eyes and checked again, only to find nothing...again.

A single tear roamed down Winter's cheek, and a small smile formed.

"Goodbye…Roman."

And so she closed the door to her old room one final time.

* * *

 **A/N: And there we go. This tragedy has come to a close. I honestly wish Roman was still alive. He was a good villain, and one who had so much more potential.**

 **Not that I'm downplaying the other tragic events that happened in the remaining few episodes of Volume 3, cause those just hurt. Penny, Amber (doesn't matter is she didn't get that much screen time), Blake getting stabbed, Yang loosing her right arm, and now Pyrrha. Not to mention Team RWBY being split up like that.**

 **Still, when it comes to Roman…rest in peace you magnificent son of a bitch.**

…

…

…

 **You know, I can imagine Roman's response to what I just said.**

 **Roman: Oh you are wrong, sir! I'm no son of a bitch! I'm the heir to a bastard!**

…

…

…

 **Yes, a fitting response from the criminal mastermind himself.**

 **Well, that's all that can be written for this ship known as Roman Empire. Again, I'm calling it that unless someone comes up with a better one. Also because Roman for…well, Roman, and Empire for Winter, cause I can kinda see Winter as an Empress.**

 **Though one ship name suggestion did garner my attention: Frozen Empire (thought up by Maronmario).**

…

…

…

 **To be honest, I almost considered it, since I can see the first part for Winter and the second part for Roman (there are such things as criminal** _ **empires**_ **, after all)….**

 **Eh, I'll leave that for you readers to think about. For now, it's still Roman Empire.**

 **Oh yeah, I also decided to post a new story. A crossover between RWBY and the greatest television series of all time: Breaking Bad. This is what happens when you binge watch an entire series in one week. The story's called Breaking Bad in Remnant…yeah, real original. Feel free to check it out.**

 **Well, that's all she wrote…I mean I wrote. I might dabble in this ship again at some point in the future. Maybe I won't. Who knows?**

 **If you liked this, leave a fav. Also, feel free to leave your thoughts and comments in a review. I like to hear from you all.**

 **Gotta go now.**

 **LATERS!**


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